Portable display devices



Sept. 29, 1970 I F. HOWARD PORTABLE DISPLAY DEVICES Filed Dec. 13, 1968 FIG. 2

YFIGQ? United States Patent O 3,530,984 PORTABLE DISPLAY DEVICES Fred Howard, New York, N.Y., assignor to Howard Displays, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 783,647 Int. Cl. A44h 7/00 US. Cl. 206-82 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The display and carrying device for carpet and like flat material samples according to the present invention is characterized by a plate member, which is provided 'With retainer means for clampingly withholding relatively small samples of carpet products, a hollow clamp body, which terminates in a substantially flat wall at one end and in cooperable clip means at the opposite end, which is spaced from said plate member sufficient so that a relatively larger piece of carpet sample when held in said clip means overlies said small carpet samples on said plate member. The flat wall of said clamp body has a plurality of spaced perforations passing through said flat wall. A relatively stiff suspension member is further provided which has pliable legs which terminate in profiled end pieces, shaped to abut against the inner face of the flat end wall of the clamp body, when said end pieces are threaded through said perforations of said clamp body, thereby to facilitate support of the device from said suspension member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is directed to certain improved constructional features of carrying devices, which are preferably, but not exclusively, employable in the display of carpet, tile, textile and similar materials for purchasing and comparison purposes.

Heretofore it was usual to fixedly mount, e.g., carpet samples, on cardboard or like panels and to stack the same prior to demonstration. Other devices known to the trade were portable and required complicated structures for anchoring swatches or samples or for replacing the same by other samples, which structures were heavy and inadequate for mass production to reduce manufacturing cost. Other disadvantages inherent in heretofore known demonstrators for carpet and like fabric samples and for other floor, wall and similar coverings gave rise, according to the invention, to a complete change in the set-up and manipulation of sample carrying devices and parts thereof.

It is preferred that said plate member be mounted on a base which has an extension panel hinged thereto, which includes a cover. panel portion and a top panel portion of which the latter portion has openings for registry with said perforations of said clamp body.

The clamp body is made from springy plastic composition and comprises clip means having end edges turned into said hollow clamp body for cooperation with each other to clampingly retain in place a part of a relatively large piece of material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention concerns a carrying device or demonstrator for carpet and other substantially flat articles. This device comprises first of all a clamp body from which the carpet sample and like article may be suspended and carried by means of a handle connectable with its end pieces to said clamp body. The latter may be further mounted on a base having an extension.

The base and extension 'when spread in flat position 3,530,984 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 upon disengagement of said end pieces of said handle or suspension member from the perforations of said clamp body, is interchangeably connectable to the top panel portion of the base via said end pieces of said suspension or handle member.

Consequently, it belongs to the objects of the invention to provide means contributing to a sturdy and compact portable display structure, which consists only of a few operative lightweight parts, which can be easily and conveniently assembled or dissassembled without the use of any tools or accessories, can be readily and swingably carried by a person or stored away, affords quick interchangeability of certain parts, avoids bulging and inadvertent displacement of sample pieces to be exposed to view and ensures that one or more large sample pieces may be placed for location next to smaller samples in flush position of the display structure for sales and comparison purposes.

These and other objects and aims of the invention will become apparent from the drawing and the ensuing specification thereof, which are exemplary and explanatory of the principles of the invention and are in no way restrictive thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING :FIG. 1 is a fragmentary and perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, seen in flush condition, a portion of the clamp body being broken away and a larger sample being omitted for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the completely assembled device pursuant to the invention, part of a larger sample being shown, other constructional parts being broken away.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a suspension or handle member employable in the invention, end parts being depicted in detail.

BIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of FIG. 2, the section being taken along line 4-4 and drawn to an enlarged scale, smaller carpet samples and part of a large sample being shown in their relative positions in carrying condition, the handle being broken olf.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of an upper portion of the assembled device, with a handle end piece being threaded into operative or looking position.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of a modified device pursuant to the invention.

FIG. 7 shows in perspective the upper portion of a further modified device with a plurality of juxtapositioned clamp bodies.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the drawing, there is disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2 a display device 10 according to the invention. Device 10 assumes the function of a snap binder having a flat base 11 and an extension 15. Extension 15, in this instance, consists of a top panel portion 12 of a selected width and a cover panel or flap portion 14 swingably connected to each other and to the base at 13 so that clip or clamp body 20, the base 11 and extension 15 with its panel portions 12 and 14 may be laid flush (FIG. 1) on a support (not shown). If clamp body 20 carries a large sample 34 (as seen in FIG. 2) this sample may be flipped over toward cover panel 14 (FIG. 1) to facilitate comparison with smaller samples 33, as may be easily realized.

Top panel portion 12 is provided with two (or more) elongated or oblong openings 17. Through the flat end surface of clamp body 20 which is contiguous to the inner surface of panel portion 12, there extend two perforations 18 which are also oblong and when in registry with grommet reinforced openings 17 permit respectively the passage of resilient pliable end pieces 19 of handle member 3 16. To these end pieces '19 are suitably constructed and profiled so that the same may be at first threaded through registering openings and perforations and thereafter come to abut by means of their transverse wall parts 19a, 1% against the inner wall surface 21 of hollow clamp body 20.

After assembly of the display device hinge 22 between top portion 12 and cover portion 14 eifectuates that the latter depends from top portion 12 and conseals clip body 20 up to the end portion 23 of a plate member 25, which is mounted on base 11 in any appropriate manner.

Plate member 25 carries a plurality of spaced parallel retainer means 26 in the form of T-shaped rails or ribs and terminates at each end in U-shaped retainer means 27.

Plate member 25 together with T-shaped and U-shaped retainer means are made of a suitable plastic composition, which is relatively rigid but resilient, such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and the like. I

Clip body 20 is likewise manufactured by extrusion from the same or similar plastic composition as mentioned hereinabove.

The clip or clamp body 20 is generally coextensive in length with the adjacent transverse end edge of plate member 25. It will be observed that clip body 20 in assembled condition and while abutting the adjacent inner surface of top panel portion 12 is spaced a sufficient d1s tance from said end edge of plate member 25 at all times, even when cover plate portion 14 is flipped over hinge 22 (FIG. 2). Clamp body 20 may be, however, shorter in length than the width of plate member 25, or may be divided in sections, as will be later referred to. The top panel portion 12 may be provided with a plurahty of elongated metal reinforced openings 17. Furthermore, shorter adjacent clamp bodies with a corresponding number of elongated perforations may also "be connected to the top panel portion openings through suitable fastening elements 19c, e.g. double-headed keys (FIG. 7), as later explained.

Thus a plurality of larger sample pieces may be engaged at end portions thereof by cooperable clip means 30, 31 located at the other end of hollow clamp body 20. These clip means firmly anchor therebetween, e.g. lengthy carpet sample or samples 34, as depicted in FIG. 4. Release of such relative larger samples may be readily had by momentarily spreading apart these clip means 30, 31 which may form straight ledges with or without teeth, as shown.

Between the aforesaid retainer means 26, 27 may be frictionally and clampingly withheld in position on plate member 25 smaller pieces or swatches 33 of carpet material, textiles, tiles or like flat articles corresponding to or complementary with relative larger piece or pieces of material retained by clip body 20 as is well apparent.

Clip or clamp body 20 may be also separately employed together with the handle member 16. In such a case end pieces 19 of the handle member 16 are threaded through the perforations 18 and are then abuttingly located and applied to the inner surface of the fiat end wall of clamp body 20. Clamp body 20 with its resilient means 30, 31 will then clampingly hold therebetween a portion or portions of relative large sample pieces, which may have reference to smaller swatches inserted between retainer means 26, 27 of plate member 25 for comparison or other purposes (FIG. 6).

If no handle member 16 is employed, it is further proposed according to the invention to cut off near either end a portion of the handle at 16a and use the same together with the end'pieces 19, 19a, 19b and 190 as keyshaped or fixing elements for connection between clamp body and any suitable perforated support from which clamp body 20 may be suspended for display purposes.

FIG. 5 illustrates how such end piece '19 or key-shaped element 190 may be inserted through registering opening 17 and perforation 18, respectively provided in the top panel 12 and in flat end wall 21 of clamp body 20.

Such element is then turned or rotated to the extent that the transversely directed head 19c with its offset portions 19a, 19b abut against the inner surface of flat end wall 21 of clamp body 20 (FIGS. 5 and 7).

FIG. 4 illustrates also how a portion of a larger sample piece 34 is withheld by clip means 30, 31 and comes to overlie smaller sample pieces 33 held and retained between retainer means 26 and 27, as the case may be. In the lower part of plate member 25 a sample 33a has been shown in a flexed state between T-shaped retainer rail 26 and U-shaped retainer end bar 27 prior to insertion and retention therebetween, as is well understood.

In FIG. 6 there is depicted a portion of plate member 25 connected to the U-Shaped upper end retainer bar 27 by means of a base-shaped member 35. This member 35 is shaped or offset at 36 and abuts exteriorly against bar 27 and terminates in clamp body 20d provided with inner clip ledges 30a, 31a for clamping the upper portion of a larger carpet sample (not shown) in a fashion similar to that illustrated in FIG. 4. In this instance, the centerline 37 of a large sample extends spaced sufiiciently from the top end of each retainer means 26, 27 to avoid sample bulging and for any other suitable purpose.

FIG. 7 shows how the clamp body may be divided in separate end sections 20a, 20b and a relative larger center section 200. Clamp body section 200 is retained by means of handle 16 against the inner face of top panel portion 12 in a manner hereinabove explained (FIGS. 4 and 5). Clamp body sections 20a, 20b abut against said inner face of the top panel portion and are firmly secured in place by means of elements (key-shaped elements) as hereinabove referred to.

Instead of the aforesaid clamp body sections it is also contemplated according to the invention to employ a multiple clamp body having several clips so as to hold and retain several large sample pieces of material in tandem relation.

One of the main advantages of the display device herein explained is, that when a larger sample is suspended with its backing layer outermost from clamp body 20, this larger sample may be swung over cover and top panel portions (due to the particular handle and clamp body connection) into a fiat position, where the face of the larger sample piece becomes exposed to view directly next to smaller and elongated samples located on and retained by the plate member, as above set forth.

All these and other modifications of the invention are covered by the latter in its broader aspects and the invention is not considered to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Departures of any sort may be had Without deviating from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its objects and advantages.

I claim:

1. A portable device for displaying samples of carpet and like flat products characterized by a plate member which is provided with retainer means for clampingly withholding relatively small samples of carpet products, a hollow clamp body, which terminates in a substantially flat wall at one end and in cooperable clip means at the opposite end, which is located spaced from said plate member sufiicient so that a relatively larger piece of carpet sample, when held in said clip means, overlies said small carpet samples on said plate member, said flat wall of said clip body having a plurality of spaced elongated perforations passing therethrough, and a suspension member with pliable legs, which terminate in profiled end pieces, which come to abut against the inner face of said end wall of said clamp body, when said end pieces are threaded through said perforations of said clamp body thereby to facilitate support of said device from said suspension member.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said retainer means of said plate member extend in parallel and transverse direction to the latter and are substantially T-shaped in cross-section.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which said clamp body with said clip means are made from resilient plastic composition, said clip means comprising end edges turned into said hollow clamp body for clampingly retaining between said end edges a portion of a relatively large sample piece of flat material.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which said plate member is mounted on a base, which has an extension panel hinged thereto, which includes a cover panel portion and a top panel portion of which the latter portion has openings for registry with said perforations of said clamp body.

5. A device according to claim 4, in which the cover panel portion is hinged to said top panel portion and extends in suspended condition of the device beyond said clamp body to conceal the same.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said clamp body is interchangeably connectable with said top panel portion.

7. A device according to claim 6, in which said end pieces of said suspension member are profiled and terminate in cross-heads, which extend transversely to said legs,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,707,839 5/1955 Green 3555 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,017,199 1/1966 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner J. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

